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Whale Shark & Butterfly Migration in Mexico ExpressMexico

From £1,698 per person for 6 nights

Enjoy a totally different type of safari, getting up close to millions of monarch butterflies gathering in fir forests as well as snorkelling with the World's largest fish - the vast whale sharks of La Paz

Your adventure begins in Mexico City, where you can wander Aztec ruins, sample the sizzling restaurant scene and discover the city’s artistic heritage. Then it’s time to hit the road and head for the fir forests near Angangueo, where the air is filled with great orange clouds of more than one hundred million monarch butterflies. Cars are banned in order to protect these creatures, so you’ll travel on horseback to see them up close. You’ll get the chance to float like a butterfly yourself when you take an awe-inspiring hot air balloon ride over the pre-Columbian pyramids of Teotihuacán, once one of the most important cities in Mesoamerica.

Then you’ll fly to the laid-back coastal city of La Paz, where the beaches are lapped by the Sea of Cortez, a rich marine ecosystem that Jacques Cousteau once described as ‘the world’s aquarium’. Here you’ll don your snorkel and flippers for an incredible encounter swimming with whale sharks, the biggest fish on earth. These enormous yet docile creatures are a wonder to behold, and this is an experience that you will never forget.

To get our mini brochure for this holiday please click here, and we will email you a PDF copy.

Itinerary

Mexico

To get our mini brochure for this holiday please click here, and we will email you a PDF copy.

Day One: Welcome to Mexico

Fly into Mexico City International, where you’ll be greeted and taken by private transfer to your hotel. On the drive from the airport, you’ll see the sheer scale of this mega-city, passing neighbourhoods packed with Art Deco and Art Nouveau buildings as well as modern skyscrapers. Once you’ve checked into your hotel, the rest of the day is free to get acquainted with its attractions. Perhaps wander through the Templo Mayor, the Aztec ruins right at the centre of the city, crammed between old colonial buildings packed with shops, cafés and government offices. Or settle down to dinner – the city is packed with restaurants vending excellent nuevo-Mexican cuisine.

Day Two: Your First Taste of the City

You’ll spend your morning wandering Mexico’s buzziest barrios and most breath-taking buildings (including the biggest cathedral in Mexico, the Metropolitan) with a private guide. Then indulge in the country’s most celebrated crop – cocoa – on a chocolate tasting with the country’s master chocolatier, the internationally-renowned José Ramón Castillo. Castillo takes inspiration from the Mayans, who discovered cocoa back in 900AD, as well as the Aztecs, who used it for drinks, tax – and even suncream. Continue on to the National Museum of Anthropology, packed with perfectly preserved Mayan treasures. Marvel at frescoes, tombs and murals set in an ultra-modern building, In the evening, there’s an optional chance to watch respected dance company Ballet Folklórico de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez perform dances from across the country, at the spectacular Palacio de Bellas Artes (see the Extras tab for information on cost).

Day Three: Capital of Culture

Your day starts with a visit to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The campus has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, thanks to its modernist buildings covered with murals (by Diego Rivera and others) depicting the country’s history and culture. Then it’s onto the ‘blue-house’, once home to Rivera’s wife, Frida Kahlo. Now a museum, it offers an intimate insight into how she lived and worked, as well as a collection of her paintings. Afterwards, a car will take you 120 miles from Mexico City to Angangueo, an old mining town that is now the best place to see the migrating Monarch butterflies.

Day Four: Forests of Butterflies

In the morning, you’ll travel by horseback up the hill to the Angangueo butterfly sanctuary. Once there, you’ll wonder at a scene straight from a story book: fir trees drip with the weight of thousands of Monarch butterflies who are huddling for warmth. Thousands more float through the air, resting wherever there is a perch – including on you. The delicate creatures fill the sanctuary with tranquility. Later, transfer by private car to the Villas Arqueologicas Teotihuacán, where you’ll stay for the night, ready to explore the ancient archaeological site named The City of Gods in the morning.

Day Five: The High Life

We’ve found an unforgettable way to see the incredible pyramids of the ancient city of Teotihuacán – by hot air balloon. Savour the vistas from on high, then enjoy a glass of sparkling wine and explore the complex up close, visiting its spectacular Sun and Moon pyramids. A car will then take you to Mexico City International Airport to catch your flight to the hip coastal city of La Paz. A shuttle will be waiting at La Paz airport to take you to your hotel.

Day Six: Snorkel with Sharks

Meet at La Paz’s waterfront at 9.30am: it’s time to swim alongside one of the greatest creatures on Earth. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean, but their docile nature means that you can glide alongside wearing just a swimsuit, snorkel, mask and flippers. After a short boat ride out into La Paz bay, jump into the water and see if you can keep up (whale sharks swim as fast as humans walk; around 3mph). If you get tired, or would rather stay out of the water, there’s the chance to witness their sheer scale and take plenty of pictures from the boat. The trips last two hours. When you return to shore, you’ll be free to explore the city. Perhaps learn about more of La Paz’s sealife at the Museo de la Ballena, but do leave time to soak up the relaxed atmosphere of the Malecon waterfront come evening; it has spectacular views of the city’s neon-infused sunsets over the sea.

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